“Fujimaru of the Wind” (1964)

Ninja is a staple to Japan as the Western is to America. The genre inspired numerous stories in books, movies, comics, and even television. And the first television anime to explore this genre is Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru (Fujimaru of the Wind) in 1964.

The anime begins with a woman tendering her field, with her baby in the basket. One day, a large eagle kidnaps the baby and carries him away. Years later, we see that the baby has grown up in a ninja clan known as Fuma. The baby, who is named Fujimaru, has become an advanced ninja, being able to summon wind through Ninjitsu. Indeed, Fujimaru uses this power to trick his enemy and escape, leaving behind his trail.

The story deals with Fujimaru searching for the “Book of the Smoking Dragon”, a series of scrolls that gives instructions on how to do powerful Ninjitsu magic. Initially he was supposed to bring the first scroll back to master Tasuke, but having been disowned by him (called “stray dog orphan” and spat on) due to accidentally burning it when they were ambushed by the enemy (it was later revealed that he burned the fake, and kept the original), Fujimaru decides to embark on his own and find the remaining scrolls himself, while trying to evade the Fuma clan bent on destroying him.

One of the clan members, Sasuke, who found the baby in the first place, is sent to kill Fujimaru, which he reluctantly accepted. During the fight scene, Sasuke, not having the heart to kill him, tricks him and everyone into thinking that Fujimaru successfully defeated him. While he was “dying”, he tells Fujimaru that he is not an orphan, and that his mother is still alive, still searching for her lost child after all these years. Armed with this new information, he decides to find his mother and get the other scrolls before others does. When he goes back to where Sasuke laid, he finds him missing. Sasuke is still alive somewhere.

After every episode there is a live-action segment featuring a soke (Grandmaster) Masaaki Hatsumi, who explains ninja techniques that was featured in the cartoon. It’s an interesting addition and very educational, explaining to the audience how the ninja techniques were done and what they do. A find addition to the action-packed storyline and a neat way to close the show.

The show was produced by Toei Animation, their second television series. Produced in black and white, there were 65 episodes altogether, airing on NET network from June 7, 1964 to August 31, 1965. The story-arc described above ran for 28 episodes. It was based on a manga by Sanpei Shirato, called Kaze no Ishimaru (Ishimaru of the Wind). The name was changed to Fujimaru for the anime because the show was sponsored by Fujisawa Pharmaceuticals, a Japanese drug company. The company’s name is even sung in the very end of the opening theme song, making the connection very clear. Shirato was credited as a creator on only those 28 episodes. Later stories, which were not based on Shirato’s manga, instead named Nashio Kidani and Souji Fukuhara as the show’s creator for episodes 29-51 and 52-65 respectively.

There were many more ninja anime after this, but this is one of the few where it was treated seriously. Other ninja animes, like Hattori the Ninja or Toei’s Pyun Pyun Maru, play off the genre for comedic purposes, sometimes even having it take place in modern times. Fuji-Maru actually takes place in feudal Japan and the story makes use of the timeline. There are violence and characters do get killed, although no blood is ever shown whenever the characters are slit during sword-fight. Japanese television’s censorship in animation is less strict compared to America’s (even today), but showing excessive blood is a big “No No” even when characters get killed in a bloody manner.

13 Comments

Chris Sobieniak

August 20, 2013 9:26:13 am

“There are violence and characters do get killed, although no blood is ever shown whenever the characters are slit during sword-fight. Japanese television’s censorship in animation is less strict compared to America’s (even today), but showing excessive blood is a big “No No” even when characters get killed in a bloody manner.”

It’s fun when you do it that way! It’s a bit of use-your-imagination/fill-in-the-blanks the way animation can do it effectively.

Interesting, there is also a Lupin III film with ninjas from a clan called Fuma, The Fuma Conspiracy (1987). Is it a commonly used name in anime shows for ninjas or is there some historical significance? I would love to know.

I was hoping you would make a post about this cartoon, as i recently bought the 2 dvd box sets collecting it (i’ve been watching a disc of ken followed by a disc a fujimaru, and then sandwiching in a disc of classic toei features every now and then).

this is a great series; i’m really hooked on it. it certainly seem to be the foundation on which all other kid ninja cartoons are based. compare it to naruto:

NARU and MARU are similar sounding
both are orphans
both shows feature the quest for sacred scrolls containing forbidden ninjutsus
both characters use shadow clone jutsu
leaf hurricane jutsu is featured in both shows
both characters have a close bond with a character named sasuke
both shows feature a continuing story line

questions about the live action segments :
what is the hostess’ name? was she famous, or was this her only claim to fame?
the scenes of ninjas in action used to illustrate the sensei’s lectures… were these clips from television shows? were live action ninja shows popular in japan the way westerns were popular in the usa? seeing these live action ninja clips i can imagine kids going nuts over shows like that.

—

off topic-
i’m continuing to watch the ken the wolfboy series. episode 4 featured the worst drawing and animation i’ve ever seen in an animated cartoon. quality went back to normal for episodes 5 through 8, and then something magical happened.
episode 9 featured a story that was not only very imaginative, but also blended the humor and adventure in the series. also, the quality of drawing and animation got a bit better. ken’s face is often more expressive and more cartoony. i don’t speak japanese, but i get the feeling that the humor became more adult and sophisticated… it has a beanie and cecil/jay ward feeling to it.
in episode 10 the series seems to stop taking itself serious altogether and takes a turn for the absurd ( storyline: a robot-manned spaceship accidentally lands in the jungle ). in one scene, after a character makes a silly comment, ken turns to the camera and shrugs his shoulders. breaking through the “4th wall” like this takes the series to an entirely new dimension.
in episode 11 we are told (i think) the tale of anthony and cleopatra. the tale is told in a series of mostly still drawings that are highly modern in design and appear to be done in pencil instead of pen and ink. it had a look akin to that of underground comics that popped up in the usa soon after. also, at the beginning of the cartoon there is a long pan of the wolf pack. there are all kinds of crazy things going on in the shot. a wolf cub is holding a sign, a wolf has a kiss on his cheek, a wolf is looking through a telescope while another wolf reclines on his back napping, a wolf has its tail twisted into heart shape, a wolf has a banner with kanji on it, a wolf looks straight into the camera with a silly grin, etc.
i hope the series continued to grow.

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ABOUT CHARLES BRUBAKER

Charles Brubaker is a cartoonist originally from Japan. In addition to his work for MAD Magazine and SpongeBob Comics, he also created Ask a Cat for GoComics . You can also follow him on his Tumblr page.